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There is no better time than the present to begin programming, given the wide range of programming tools available to beginners. There are constantly new tools being developed, so it is crucial to stay up-to-date with the latest.
With thousands of development tools on the market, it can seem daunting to any beginner. However, after learning more about these 20 top programming tools for beginners, you will be well equipped to start your own projects.
Community Tools
1. Github
You have probably heard of Github. It is the world’s leading software development platform and a web-based Git repository hosting service. You can find code for many software projects and upload your own, with the choice of making it public or private. GitHub has a massive community, meaning it is one of the best tools for collaborative development.
2. Confluence
When it comes to team collaboration, Confluence is software that could prove to be helpful. It creates the perfect place to gather ideas, requirements the product team is involved with, and documentation. It is easy to use and provides a space for every member of the team.
Text Editors
Text editors are crucial to coding. They are programs that type simple text without word processor formatting, and they are used to type up clean lines of code in various programming languages.
3. Sublime Text
A cross-platform text editor for Mac, Windows and Linux, Sublime Text is a great choice for new coders looking to be first-time text editors. It enables coders to transition from ordinary word processor programs with ease.
4. Brackets
Created by Adobe, Brackets was designed to be integrated with other products in the suite. Despite its minimal design, Brackets offers powerful features like live preview functionality, and it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
5. Notepad++
An open-source code editor for Windows, Notepad++ supports several coding languages. Beginners will be happy to see features like a built-in FTP plugin, which enables you to open and edit files directly on the webserver.
6. Atom
Developed by GitHub, Atom is one of the top text editors for beginners. The cross-platform editor includes various open-source packages that allow for easy customization.
Chrome Extension Tools
As the biggest web browser, Google Chrome offers many extensions that are useful for beginning developers:
7. Web Developer
Web Developer is an extension specifically aimed at developers and designers. It adds a toolbar button to the browser, and it includes many useful day-to-day tools. It enables you to write and edit HTML and CSS, mark links as visited and unvisited, and create and edit text.
8. Lorem Ipsum Generator
Lorem Ipsum Generator enables beginners to quickly and easily add dummy text to website layouts.
9. WhatFont
With WhatFont, programmers can identify which fonts have been used on a selected website. All you have to do is hover over the fonts, and it will indicate the type.
10. Window Resizer for Developer
You can use this tool to resize your browser to various sizes. This helps you create responsive designs, and it is especially useful if you are trying to run them over multiple platforms, such as mobile.
11. ColorZilla
You can use ColorZilla to copy colors from a website and post the exact same ones onto your clipboard.
HTML/CSS Coding Resources
HTML is the language for describing the structures of web pages, and it enables you to do things like publish online documents with headings, text, tables, and lists. On the other hand, CSS is the language for describing the presentation of web pages, which can include colors, layouts, and fonts.
Here is a look at some of the top HTML/CSS coding resources for beginners:
12. UltraEdit
UltraEdit is an all-in-one solution that aims to solve every challenge a developer or IT professional encounters. These can include programming and project management, text data and record reformatting, data sorting, large file manipulation, remote file operations, and advanced file searching. With UltraEdit, programmers can easily handle large file edits without impacting performance.
13. NoteTab
You can use NoteTab to gain complete control over your HTML code, and it also speeds up the creation process. NoteTab enables you to insert tags and other HTML code from a toolbar, as well as drag-and-drop code snippets from a list to your document. Some of the tool’s other features include an auto-complete feature and a multilingual spell checker.
14. BBEdit
An HTML editor for macOS, BBEdit offers both a free and premium version. It enables you to create, import, and edit files with ease, as well as search for and replace text across multiple files. The tool’s basic but capable interface is ideal for beginners looking to start with a simple tool.
15. Komodo IDE
Komodo IDE is both a code editor and an integrated development environment (IDE). The editor improves your workflow thanks to a two-in-one editor and debugger, and it supports top languages like Python, PHP, Perl, Go, Ruby, Node.js, and JavaScript.
16. Visual Studio Code
Another powerful, open-source, cross-platform editor for beginners, Visual Studio Code comes from Microsoft. It offers IntelliSense, which provides smart completions based on function definitions, imported modules, and variable types.
17. Edit+
Edit+ is a premium code editor for Microsoft Windows, and it supports syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Java C/C++, ASP, Perl, VBScript, Python, and Ruby on Rails. One of the main features of Edit+ is that it can be extended for other programming languages by submitting a custom syntax file, and it offers features like spell check, autocompletion, search and replace, and customizable keyboard shortcuts.
18. BlueFish
A lightweight and fast open-source, multi-platform application, BlueFish enables you to integrate external programs like Make, lint, HTML Tidy, and even your own program or script. One of the reasons BlueFish is so enticing to beginners is that it has an unlimited undo and redo feature and in-line spell-check.
Other Notable Tools for Beginners
These are just some of the many tools available to beginners for a wide range of tasks. Here is a look at two more you should be sure to check out:
19. Docker
Docker is actually a container, not a tool, but it is a useful, open platform for developers and system administrators. You can use it to build, ship, and run distributed applications.
20. Feedly
The last tool on the list is Feedly, which helps you organize, read, and share content that’s important to you. Programmers often follow tech blogs and other online sources, and Feedly will consistently provide you with new content, helping you grow from beginner to expert.
Any beginner looking to start programming or building on what they already know should take a look at each one of these 20 tools. They are sure to help you grow as a programmer and put you on the right path to success.
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